LAWS OF THE WORLD RELATING TO WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS

This page provides links to laws and policies of the world relating to women’s human rights. As of present it does not include non-discrimination provisions of labor codes and family codes, or Constitutions and Penal Codes other than those recently approved (updated as of 2 February 2010).

ALBANIA

Law No. 9970 of 24 July 2008 [on sex discrimination].

ALGERIA

Law No. 08-19 of 15 November 2008 [amends the Constitution with respect to sex discrimination].

ANGOLA

Constitutional Law of 17 April 2008 [guarantees equality regardless of sex].

ARGENTINA

Anti-discrimination Act, Act No. 23592 of 23 July 1988, as amended through 2008.

AUSTRALIA

Sex Discrimination Act, 1984, as amended through 2005.

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986, as amended through 2005.

AUSTRIA

Federal Equal Treatment Law, as amended through 2002.

Federal Law of 2 July 2008 [amends the above Law].

AZERBAIJAN

Law on State Guarantees of Equal Rights for Women and Men, 10 October 2006.

BELGIUM

Law of 10 May 2007, as amended through 2008.

This Law has the objective of fighting discrimination based on gender.

BELIZE

Married Persons (Protection) Act, as amended through Act No. 32 of 1999.

Protection against Sexual Harassment Act, as amended through 2000.

BERMUDA

Human Rights Act, 1981, as amended through 1998.

Human Rights Amendment Act 2000

BHUTAN

Constitution, 18 July 2008 [guarantees equality regardless of sex].

BOLIVIA

Constitution, 2009 [prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex].

Supreme Decree No. 29850 of 10 December 2008 [approves the National Plan for Equal Opportunities: building the new Bolivia women to live well].

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Law of 21 May 2003 [on gender equality].

Law on Discrimination of 23 July 2009.

BRAZIL

Decree No. 6387 of 5 March 2008 [approves the 2^nd National Plan for Women’s Policies for the years 2008-2011].

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

Constitution, 13 June 2007 [prohibits discrimination based on sex].

CANADA

Canadian Human Rights Act, as amended through 2009.

CAYMAN ISLANDS

Constitution, 10 June 2009 [prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex].

CHINA

The Program for the Development of Chinese Women, 7 August 2000.

Law Safeguarding Women’s Rights and Interests, 3 April 1992.

CHINA—HONG KONG

Sex Discrimination Ordinance. As amended through 2008.

COLOMBIA

Law No. 823 of 10 July 2003.

This Law has the objective of establishing an institutional framework and guidance for policies and activities on the part of the Government to guarantee equity and equality of opportunities for women in the public and private spheres.

Law No. 731 of 14 January 2002.

This Law sets forth provisions to promote the quality of life of rural women.

Law No. 581 of 31 May 2000 regulating the adequate and effective participation of women at decision-making levels in various branches and bodies of the public administration, in conformity with Articles 13, 40, and 43 of the National Constitution.

Law No. 82 of 3 November 1993 setting forth rules on special support for women who are heads of families, as amended through 2008.

COSTA RICA

Law No.7142 of 8 March 1990, the Law on the Promotion of the Social Equality of Women, as amended through Law 7319 of 17 November 1992

Law No. 7769 of 24 April 1998, the Law on Care for Mothers in Conditions of Poverty (Law No. 7769, as amended through Law 8414 of 17 December 2001

Decree No. 30419 of 22 January 2002, Regulations to the Law on Care for Mothers in Conditions of Poverty

Executive Decree No. 34729 of 3 September 2008 [requires public institutions to guide their activities according to a policy of gender equity and equality].

Executive Decree No. 34588 of 6 June 2008 [Regulations to the Law on sexual harassment].

CROATIA

Gender Equality Act, July 2003.

Law of 15 July 2008, the Law on Gender Equality.

DENMARK

Act of Gender Equality, 30 May 2000.

Law No. 452 of 22 May 2006 [amends the above Law].

Law No. 484 of 12 June 2009 [amends the above Law].

DJIBOUTI

Law No. 173/AN/02/4th defining the national policy on the integration of women in development.

Law No. 192/AN/02/4^th instituting a quota system in elective offices and the administration of the State, 13 November 2002.

Decree No. 2008-0270/PR/MPF of 26 November 2008 [on a system of quotas in elective offices in the administration of State in order to reach at least 20% as a percentage of either of the sexes in these offices].

ECUADOR

Constitution, 28 September 2008 [prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex].

Law of 17 March 2009 amending the Penal Procedure Code and the Penal Code [criminalizes hate crimes based on sex].

EL SALVADOR

Constitutional Reform No. 4 of 29 April 2009 [strengthens provisions that guarantee the equality of the sexes in marriage].

ESTONIA

Act of 14 June 2006 amending the Penal Code [contains provisions on the violation of equality].

Equal Treatment Act, 2008.

Decision No. 532 of 2 October 2009 [approves legislation amending the Gender Equality Act and the Equal Treatment Act].

FIJI

The Women’s Plan of Action 1999-2008.

FINLAND

Act respecting equality between men and women, amended through 2005.

FRANCE

Law No. 98-657 of 29 July 1998 on guidance on the fight against exclusions, as amended through 2009.

Law No. 2002-73 of 17 January 2002 on social modernization.

Among other things, this Law contains provisions on discrimination in housing on the basis of a variety of factors including sex and on sexual and moral harassment.

GERMANY

Law of 30 November 2001 on the implementation of equality between men and women.

GHANA

National Gender and Children Policy, 2004.

GUYANA

Prevention of Discrimination Act 1997 (Act No. 26 of 1997), 13 October 1997.

Equal Rights Act (Act No. 19 of 1990), 19 July 1990.

HONDURAS

Decree No. 34-2000 of 28 April 2000.

This Decree approves the Law on Equality of Opportunities for Women

HUNGARY

Act No. 170 of 2007 [amends the Penal Code to criminalize harassment].

ICELAND

Act on the Legal Status and Equal Rights of Women and Men, 9 May 2000.

Act on Equal Status and Equal Rights of Women and Men (Act No. 10/2008), 26 February 2008.

IRELAND

Equal Status Act 2000.

Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2008 (Act No. 14 of 2008), 14 July 2008 [amends the Equal Status Act 2000 with respect to differential treatment of women and men in insurance contracts].

INDONESIA

Act No. 39 concerning human rights, 23 September 1999.

IRELAND

Equal Status Act (Act No. 8 of 2000), 26 April 2000.

ISRAEL

Prevention of Sexual Harassment Law 5758-1998.

JAPAN

The Basic Law for a Gender-Equal Society (Law No. 78 of 1999), 1999.

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF

Gender Discrimination Prevention and Relief Act, 1999.

Framework Act on Women’s Development, Act No. 5136 of 30 December 1995, as amended through 2008.

Act on the Gender Equality Employment and Support for Work-Family Balance (Amendment to the Gender Equality Employment Act), 21 December 2007.

KYRGYZSTAN

Constitution, 21 October 2007 [prohibits discrimination based on sex].

Law No. 184 of 4 August 2008 on state guarantees of equal rights and equal opportunities for men and women.

LATVIA

Cabinet Order No. 648m 17 October 2007 Regarding the Programme for Implementation of Gender Equality 2007-2010.

LITHUANIA

Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Equal Opportunities, 1 December 1998.

Law No. XI-303 of 16 June 2009 [amends the Criminal Code to criminalize expressing hatred of a group of persons or person on the basis of sex].

Law No. VIII-947 of 1 December 1998, as amended through 14 July 2009.

MACEDONIA

Law amending the Law on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women, 2009.

MADAGASCAR

Law No. 2007-022 of 28 June 2007 [on marriage and marriage regimes; part of the rationale for the Law is to equalize relations between spouses].

MALTA

Equality of Men and Women Act, 2003, as amended through 2009.

MEXICO

Decree of 10 June 2003, as amended through 2007.

This Decree approves the Federal Law on the prevention and elimination of discrimination, including discrimination based on gender.

Decree of 21 November 2007 [amends the above Law].

Decree of 11 August 2009 [approves the National Program on the Equality of Women and Men 2009-2012].

MONTENEGRO

Constitution, 19 October 2007 [guarantees the equality of men and women].

Law on Gender Equality, 2007.

NAMIBIA

Married Persons Equality Act, 1996 (Act No. 1 of 1996), 20 May 1996.

Affirmative Action (Employment) Amendment Act, 2007 (Act No. 6 of 2007), 21 December 2007.

NEPAL

Act to Amend Some Nepal Acts for Maintaining Gender Equality, 2063 (2006).

National Human Rights National Action Plan, 2004.

NETHERLANDS

Act of 1 March 1980 on the equal treatment of men and women.

Equal Treatment Act, 2 March 1994.

Burden of Proof in Sex Discrimination Act 2000, 13 December 2000.

Law of 21 July 2007 [amends the Equal Treatment Act].

NEW ZEALAND

Human Rights Act 1993, as amended through 2008.

NICARAGUA

Law No. 648 of 14 February 2008, the Law on Equal Rights and Opportunities.

Law No. 641, Penal Code, 16 November 2007 [prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex].

PANAMA

Law No. 16 of 10 April 2002.

This Law regulates right to entry into public establishments and sets forth measures to prevent discrimination, including discrimination based on gender.

Law No. 6 of 4 May 2000.

This Law declares that language, content, and illustrations that contribute to the elimination of all practices that discriminate on the basis of gender, contrary to the equality of men and women must be used in all educational works and texts.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Law and Justice Gender Strategy, 2005.

PARAGUAY

Third National Plan of Equality of Opportunities between Men and Women (2008-2017).

PERU

Law No. 27942 of 26 February 2003.

This Law has the objective of fighting sexual harassment.

Law No. 27558 of 22 November 2001.

This Law is designed to promote the education of female rural children and adolescents in conditions of equality.

Law No. 27270 of 26 January 2000, Law against discriminatory acts.

Law No. 27049 of 28 December 1998 delineating the right of citizens not to be subject to discrimination as consumers and amending various Articles of Legislative Decree No. 716.

Act No. 25155 of 26 December 1989 prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in regulations, statutes and other rules of sporting, social, and cultural institutions.